''Benthosema glaciale'', or glacier lantern fish, is the most common species of

lanternfish Lanternfishes (or myctophids, from the Greek μυκτήρ ''myktḗr'', "nose" and ''ophis'', "serpent") are small mesopelagic fish of the large family Myctophidae. One of two families in the order Myctophiformes, the Myctophidae are represente ...

and important part of the midwater ecosystem of northern North Atlantic. It feeds on small crustaceans, including

copepods Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthic (living on the ocean floor), a number of species have p ...

, krill and amphipods, along with other small invertebrates.

Distribution

''Benthosema glaciale'' occurs in the

North Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...

as well as in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

. In the eastern Atlantic it is found from

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

northwards to the

Kara Sea The Kara Sea (russian: Ка́рское мо́ре, ''Karskoye more'') is a marginal sea, separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and from the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. ...

, and in the western Atlantic from the northern edge of the

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Current, North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida a ...

northwards to the

Baffin Bay Baffin Bay ( Inuktitut: ''Saknirutiak Imanga''; kl, Avannaata Imaa; french: Baie de Baffin), located between Baffin Island and the west coast of Greenland, is defined by the International Hydrographic Organization as a marginal sea of the Arct ...

and

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

. It is common in Norwegian fjords. ''Benthosema glaciale'' is a mesopelagic fish that can be found from surface waters down to depth of , but it is most common at around . It undergoes diel vertical migration, moving to shallower water to feed at night. However, depth distribution can be bimodal at night, suggesting that not all individuals migrate.

Life history

''Benthosema glaciale'' can grow to SL. They have a maximum lifespan of about eight years, although typical lifespan is shorter. Maturity is reached at age 2–3 years. Spawning takes place mostly in summer. In Norway, oceanic populations grow slower but to a larger size than fjord populations. Mediterranean populations have smaller body size, shorter lifespan, and might spawn throughout the year.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1319298 glacier lantern fish Fish of the North Atlantic Fish of the Mediterranean Sea glacier lantern fish Taxa named by Johan Reinhardt